Miao tribe embroidery has high artistic value and enjoys good fame worldwide. Miao ladies (or called Hmong, same rooted) learn batik and embroidery since the age of six or seven, and spend months and years to hand embroider their own festival clothing, wedding dresses, apron and baby carriers. They know as much as 14 different hand stitching techniques and good at using colorful silk threads to make stunning effect. They incorporate gold paper cutouts, metal sequins, batik and woven pieces, making the embroidery exceptionally rich in colors, patterns and textures.

Diminishing Heritage - Need to be Promoted and Preserved

Most antique textile pieces are decorated with flowers, birds and animals from the surrounding landscape - anthropomorphic and zoomorphic images that are often abstracted. Also, traditional auspicious designs are often found, along with patterns that are completely geometric. As increasing number of Miao ladies move from villages to cities, this exquisite textile art is diminishing, and collectors and museums from around the world, including British Museum in UK, Textile Museum in US and Minneapolis Institute of Arts in US, are working hard to collect and preserve them.

In 2006, Chinese government aligned with United Nation UNESCO heritage policy, accredited Miao Embroidery an Intangible Cultural Heritage, recognizing its contribution on cultural diversity and human creativity, and safeguarding this human treasure to be kept alive.

“Amazingly rich in texture and design, an exquisite piece of artwork that is hand stitched by sophisticated technique, with very fine and detailed craftsmanship – a stunning piece indeed!”